UNSOLVED MI - "Very Old" Skeletal Remains Found by Construction Crew, Sturgis, 9 July 2019

[Gardener1850]

STURGIS, Mich. (WNDU) An investigation is underway in Sturgis after human skeletal remains were found Tuesday.

Sturgis police say investigators have confirmed that the remains are human.

The discovery was made around 11 a.m. in the area of South Nottawa Street and Bogen Road.

The area has been secured, and an investigation is underway.

Human skeletal remains found in Sturgis

Police say the remains were found by a construction crew around 11 a.m. Tuesday in the area of S. Nottawa and Bogen roads.

Geoffrey Smith with the Sturgis Department of Public Safety says that remains appear to be very old, maybe as old as 100 years.

When asked about Brittney Beers, a local 6-year-old girl who has been missing since 1997, he said that it appears that the remains are older.

Michigan State Police and the Western Michigan University Anthropology Unit are assisting with the investigation.

Police investigating discovery of possible human remains in Sturgis

 

[Gardener1850]

Brittany's thread: MI - MI - Brittany Beers, 6, Sturgis, 16 Sept 1997

 

[Gardener1850]

Could this be Ralph Stutzman? IN - IN - Ralph Stutzman, 46, LaGrange, 17 Aug 1952

Ralph disappeared in 1952 from LaGrange, IN which is only about 9 miles away: Google Maps

 

[YaYa_521]

BBM

More human remains found in Sturgis; may be from original settlers

STURGIS, Mich. (WNDU) More human remains have been found in Sturgis, and a veterans affairs coordinator says it's possible the remains may be from original settlers to the area.

SNIP

There is ongoing research to try and determine if there happens to be any Civil War connections with a possible burial site, Sturgis police say.

 

[Gardener1850]

Remains found in Sturgis could date back to 1830s

STURGIS, Mich. — After mysterious remains were unearthed by a construction crew in Sturgis Tuesday – then more on Wednesday morning – the plot is thickening as experts try to identify who they belong to.

Tuesday, officials said the remains were old – very old, possibly dating back to the 1830s.

“The remains that have been found are all older, so when I say older, whether that`s Native American, whether that`s homesteaders, until they`re carbon dated, we won`t have an exact time frame, but I guess the good news so far is they`re pretty sure it`s nothing recent,” Geoffrey Smith with Sturgis Public Safety said on Tuesday.

Wednesday, anthropologists working alongside police determined the remains belonged to two children and three adults.

While anthropologists expect it to take months of testing before their identities are known, Stoney Summey, with the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency says he has an idea about one of them.

For the past four years, he’s been using death certificates and military pension forms to track down David Randol, a Revolutionary War veteran. Neither his body nor his grave were ever found.

Remains found in Sturgis could date back to 1830s

 

[Coffee56]

Remains belonging to 3 adults and 2 children sounds like an old family plot to me. Old deed records might be able to help identify who owned the property.

 

[rainwaterstill]

5 sets of skeletal remains found at Sturgis site

The remains are not thought to be Native American. They ARE believed to be at least 100 years old. According to the article, there was once a school and possibly a church on the site.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Interesting! But how awful for the discoverers.

 

[Richard]

Bumping case up. We're they ever identified?